2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ~ 20201108 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

11/08_2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Deceptive Transformation; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20201108_2cor11_13-15.mp3


Done Beating around the Bush…

In 2 Corinthians Paul paints a picture of what authentic gospel ministry looks like and smells like and walks like. Authentic ministry is ministry that follows in the footsteps of Jesus and is patterned after his sacrifice for the good of others.

In chapter 10 he began to point out more directly the character of those who were leading the Corinthians astray. He contrasted his own Christlike meekness and gentleness with their boldness; he said he wages war with divine power to demolish spiritual strongholds. His authority was given to build them up not tear them down. His opponents were classifying and comparing and commending themselves. They measured themselves by one another. And they boasted in the labor of another.

In chapter 11 he warns them that he is going to come out to play and meet the false teachers on their own boastful turf, and he tells them why.

2 Corinthians 11:1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Here in chapter 11 he becomes much more direct in pointing out the problem. He says that he betrothed them to one husband, Christ. But the Corinthians were under a satanic deception, being led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ to receive a different spirit, a different gospel, a different Jesus.

2 Corinthians 11:5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

He is accused of contemptible speech. Here he ironically calls these skillful speakers ‘super-apostles’, but says that he does not come up short in his knowledge.

2 Corinthians 11:7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.

In verses 7-12 he undercuts their claim to work on equal terms with him, because he refuses to be a burden, he refuses to take any money from them for himself, where these ‘super-apostles’ were clearly in it for the money. Paul forces their hand; if they want to claim they work on his terms, they will have to give up taking money from the Corinthians, something Paul is confident they will not do.

Calling a Spade

Everything Paul has said so far should have led them to draw this conclusion, but in case anyone missed it, here in verses 13-15 he directly labels the super-apostles for who they really are.

2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

In the previous verses, he labeled them ‘super-apostles’. Here he calls them false apostles, deceitful workers, servants of Satan. This is even more confrontational, more in-your-face than what he said to the Galatian churches. He said:

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

He warns that even if an apostle or an angel from heaven brought to them a different gospel, they should not accept it. But here he directly labels his opponents as false apostles, deceitful workers, servants of Satan.

False and Deceptive

Paul has carefully laid out the character of a genuine apostle, and now he points the finger and says your so-called super apostles are not it. They are false. They are phony. They are liars. They are workers of deceit, using bait to entrap, they are crafty, employing trickery. They are not transparent. What you see is not what you get. They hide their true character behind a disguise.

Paul has shown that they proclaim another Jesus a different gospel and a different spirit. If they are apostles of a false Jesus, preaching a false gospel, then they are false apostles. They were not commissioned by the real Jesus and they are not testifying to who Jesus truly is. No matter how well they say what they say, the content of what they say condemns them.

The Danger of Appearances

Paul has already rebuked the Corinthians for looking at appearances and not at the heart (5:12; 10:7). Here he pulls off their clever disguise. The false apostles go to great lengths to transform themselves into apostles of Christ. But only Jesus can bring true inner transformation. That’s how Paul uses this word in Philippians 3

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

The transformation of the false apostles is in form, not in substance. And Paul is not surprised.

2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising [transforming] themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises [transforms] himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise [transform] themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

The servant does what his master does. Paul has shown this in genuine apostles, who follow in the footsteps of their suffering Savior. This is also true of false apostles, who are servants of Satan. He pulls off the mask and says ‘even Satan transforms himself as an angel of light.’ ‘The great dragon, ...that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world’ (Rev.12:9). You are not going to catch a whiff of sulfur or the glint of a pitchfork in his red cloven hoof. He is called the dragon and the serpent, but he is not going to appear like one. Few who recognize him for who he is will listen to his lies.

He didn’t convince Eve to eat the forbidden fruit by telling her that it was foul smelling and rotten and would plunge her into ruin and sever her relationship with a good Creator who loves her. He convinced her that it was ‘good for food, ...a delight to the eyes, and ...to be desired to make one wise,’ and that God was withholding something good from her (Gen.3:4-6).

Jesus called him ‘a liar and the father of lies’ (Jn.8:44), and that applies not only to the content but also to the form. He warned ‘of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves’ (Mt.7:15). They appear to be sheep, but it is a disguise. Satan, Paul says, transforms himself into an angel of light.

Do not believe every spirit’, John says, ‘but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world’ (1Jn.4:1). Test the spirits by the content of their message, not by how they appear. Do they confess the truth about Jesus? Jesus is God come in the flesh, to suffer in our place, to rescue us. Or do they proclaim a distorted Jesus?

Do not judge based on appearances. Isaiah 14 refers to the one who fell from heaven as ‘day star’ or ‘Lucifer,’ a shining one. Ezekiel 28 gives this description:

Ezekiel 28:12 ...“You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. ...17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. ...

Servants of Righteousness

Do not be deceived by appearances. Do not be deceived by a smooth tongue, by eloquent speech, by lofty arguments. Paul is in a spiritual battle for the souls of people. He is warning them of satanic deception that transforms its servants into servants of righteousness. In the name of Jesus they promote a false Jesus, under the guise of the gospel they proclaim a distorted gospel, and in the power of another spirit they promise present blessing by that spirit.

Paul claimed to be a minister of a new covenant (3:6), ministry of the life-giving Spirit (3:8), the ministry of righteousness (3:9), so that

2 Corinthians 3:18 ...we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…

Transformed in true inner righteousness, not in an outward show of righteousness that is not really righteousness.

So far in 2 Corinthians, we have seen that there is unforgiveness (2:7) and Paul exhorts them to forgive,

2 Corinthians 2:11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

They were yoked together with unbelievers and idolatry (6:14-16). And they were not pursuing holiness (7:1).

He appeals to them to be reconciled to God (5:20);

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We become truly righteous with God’s own righteousness credited to our account because God credited our sin to Jesus on the cross. Righteousness only comes to us through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus for us. The false apostles masquerading as servants of righteousness were not righteous themselves; they were deceitful, disgraceful, cunning, underhanded (4:2), tampering with God’s word. They were not righteous themselves, and their message did not produce righteousness in their converts. They proclaimed a Jesus who didn’t suffer for our sins, a gospel devoid of the power of the cross, a spirit who cannot transform and produce holiness. The did talk about the spirit, the gospel and Jesus, but they twisted those words and filled them with foreign content. On the surface it sounds right, but it is not what it appears.

End Corresponds to Deeds

2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Paul reminds them that God’s Holy Spirit produces the fruit of holiness. As he told the Ephesians:

Ephesians 5:5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Anyone teaching that morality doesn’t matter is deceiving you with empty words. The true gospel is never earned, but it produces heart transformation. The false apostles were promoting a spirit that isn’t holy and can’t produce the fruit of holiness. As Jesus said;

Luke 6:43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. …

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Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If the false apostles disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, but in truth are serving Satan and unrighteousness, their eternal end will correspond to who they really are, as it will be with all those who follow their teaching. This is a sobering passage. Paul is warning us that it is essential to guard the purity both of our doctrine and our living. He has ‘betrothed us to one husband, to present us as a pure virgin to Christ’ (11:2). Do not be led astray by satanic seduction from your single-hearted devotion to Christ.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org